Interconnecting members for exterior connection to rack column

ABSTRACT

A RACK WITH KNOCKDOWN CHARACTER IS PROVIDED BY HORIZONTAL FRAME MEMBERS WITH INTERENGAGING ENDS THAT DEFINE A SLEEVE-LIKE CONNECTOR FOR COOPERATING WITH VERTICAL UPRIGHTS, WHEREIN THE VERTICAL UPRIGHT IS IMPERFORATE WITH ONE SIDE SHAPED TO PROVIDE A VERTICAL SERIES OF UNIFORMLYSPACED PROTUBERANCES THAT ARE ADAPTED TO ENTER APERATURES DEFINED ON THE SLEEVE-LIKE CONNECTOR TO PROVIDE A SUPPORTING INTERCONNECTION.

Sept. 20, 1971 H. H. KLEIN INTERCONNECTING MEMBERS FOR EXTERIOR CONNECTION TO RACK COLUMN Filed June 4, 1970 FIG. 1

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2

099m All/l N VE N TOR Herbert hf ldleizz P 20, 1971 H. H. KLEIN 3,606,028

INTERCONNECTING MEMBERS FOR EXTERIOR CONNECTION TO BACK COLUMN Filed June 4, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG, 4 52 FIG, 5 52 26 24 30 I 77 50 Fig, 8

INVENTpA lferberi hfK/ezrz )MM ailamegs United States Patent O 3,606,028 INTERCONNECTING MEMBERS FOR EXTERIOR CONNECTION TO RACK COLUMN Herbert H. Klein, Arlington Heights, 11]., assignor to Unarco Industries, Inc., Chicago, Ill.

Filed June 4, 1970, Ser. No. 43,344 Int. Cl. A47f /10 US. Cl. 211177 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rack with knockdown character is provided by horizontal frame members with interengaging ends that de fine a sleeve-like connector for cooperation with vertical uprights, wherein the vertical upright is imperforate with one side shaped to provide a vertical series of uniformlyspaced protuberances that are adapted to enter apertures defined on the sleeve-like connector to provide a supporting interconnection.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a knockdown rack of a type in WhlCh horizontal frame members are interconnected with each other and with an upright column.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Knockdown racks are known wherein the ends of horizontal frame members have interengaging elements that cooperate to provide a sleeve-like connector for surrounding a vertical post to be supported thereby. US. Pat. 2,765,087 typically shows such a combination. In some such prior constructions, the post is provided with a surrounding collar welded thereto for engaging the lower edges of the sleeve-like connector elements. In an attempt to reduce the cost of a surrounding collar welded to the post, it has been suggested that the post be cut in a wall thereof and that a tab be struck outwardly from the post to be positioned to engage the lower edge of at least one of the interengaging elements at the ends of the horizontal frame members. The latter suggestion operates to weaken the post, since any perforation through the wall of a metal post provides an area where continued stress may result in structural fatigue and eventual failure. Such constructions in the prior art fail to prevent upward move ment of the frame members relative to the post.

The instant invention avoids both the expense of the welded collar like element on the post and the weakening of the post by cutting through a wall thereof, and further provides a superior interconnection which limits undesirable upward movement of the frame members relative to the post.

Thus, the principal object of this invention is to provide an improved knockdown rack construction wherein the posts are provided with a series of uniformly-spaced protruberances that are capable of being formed by automatic machinery without requirement of welding or perforating of the wall of the post, and wherein the ends of the horizontal frame members are so shaped to cooperate with the protuberances of the post as to maintain a superior operative structural connection between said frame members and the post.

Another object of this invention is to provide a knockdown rack construction of the type disclosed wherein means are provided for obviating undesirable upward movement of horizontal frame members relative to the post.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rack construction having frame members which are perpen- "Ice dicularly arranged with respect to the upright posts in order to obtain maximum useable load space.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood through consideration of the following description and claims, and by reference to the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a post of a knockdown rack having connected thereto a pair of interlocking horizontal frame members in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view thereof, taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary exploded view, partially broken, of the upright post and two horizontal frame members of FIGS. 1 and 2 prior to interconnection;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken substantially along the line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view, taken substantially along the line 5-5 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is an exploded view taken substantially along line 66 of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, a pair of frame members 10, 12 are interconnected with an upright post 14 of substantially square basic cross-section as seen in FIGS. 4-6. At least one of the upright walls of the post is provided with a series of aligned, identical circular protuberances that have been uniformly formed by rolling without rupturing or weakening the wall in which the protuberances are formed. Such protuberance will not form a sharp discontinuity in the wall where it merges with the normally flat wall, and the extent of material displacement from the plane of the wall is gradually reaching a maximum at the center of the protuberance.

Each of the frame members 10, 12 is of hollow-beam shape with its lateral width dimension, as seen in FIG. 2, being selected as substantially equal to the basic width dimension (excluding the protuberances) of the upright post 14.

Angle-bracket means for interconnecting the horizontal frame members 10, 12 with each other and with the upright post 14 are welded to the ends of the frame members. On frame member 10, an angle-bracket means 17 provides a first leg 18 which extends perpendicularly and transverse to the longitudinal axis of frame member 10, with the inside surface 20 of leg 18 adapted for abutting engagement with one post side such as side 22 of post 14. Angle-bracket connector 17 also includes a second leg 24 at right angles to the first leg 18 so as to extend parallel to the longitudinal axis of frame member 10 with the inside surface 26 of the second leg sub stantially co-planar with an outer upright surface of frame member 10 and being adapted for abutting engagement with a second post side such as side 28 of upright 14.

Legs 18 and 24 are identical in size and shape to each other. Each of the legs has a pair of downwardly extending hooks 30 and 32 which bound recesses of a size to receive the thickness of material of legs of a similar connector upon interengagement with upwardly extending hooks of connector legs carried by another frame member. At least the second leg 24 of connector 17 is provided with a pair of vertically aligned, identical, circular apertures 34, 36, the centers of which are spaced a distance that is equal to the spacing between the centers of adjacent circular protuberances 16 formedon the upright post 14. Each aperture is slightly greater in size than the maximum diameter of all portions of a pro- 3 tuberance 16 so as to be adapted to receive a full protuberance thereinto when the leg abuts the wall of the post for effecting a support in shear between the apertured leg and the post.

Frame member 12 has an angle-shaped bracket connector 38, identical with connector 17, secured at its end and providing legs 40 and 42 for interengagement with legs 18 and 24, respectively. Leg 42, corresponding with first leg 18 but inverted with respect thereto, extends perpendicularly to and transversely of the longitudinal axis of frame member 12 with the inside surface 48 of the leg adapted for abutting engagement with the third side 50 of upright post 14. A second leg 40, corresponding with second leg 24 but inverted with respect thereto, extends at right angles to leg 42 and extends from. frame member .12. in the same relationship thereto as leg 24 bears to frame member and adapted for abutting engagement with the fourth side 46 of upright 14. The legs 40 and 42, being identical to legs 24 and 18 but inverted with respect thereto, provide pairs of upwardly extending hooks 52 and 54 for locking interengagement with hooks 30 and 32 as shown in FIGS. 1-2 and 4-5. Again, at least the longitudinally extending leg 40 18 provided with vertically spaced circular apertures 56 and 58, the centers of the apertures being spaced at distance equal to the distance between the centers of vertically adjacent protuberances 16 of upright 14. In the drawings all four legs of the two angle-bracket connectors 17 and 3-8 are shown provided with apertures but only one side 46 of post 14 is provided with protuberances 16, although series of protuberances could be provided on multiple sides of the post as desired.

The frame members 10 and 12 interconnect with each other and with upright post 14 in the manner indicated in FIG. 6. It can be seen that the frame members are brought together so that upwardly extending hooks 52 and 54 of legs 40 and 42 are caused to interengage with downwardly extending hooks 30 and 32 of legs 18 and 2 6, with the protuberances 16 being received by apertures 56 and 58 of leg 40. In practice the frame member 12 is first moved against the post 14 with protuberances 16 located in apertures 56 and 58. Then frame member 10 is hooked to frame member 12 which operates to hold leg 40 closely against wall 46 of the post as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5. While the portions of protuberances 16 most closely adjacent the edges of apertures 56 and 58 may not extend outwardly from post 14 to provide for proper shear relationship, the greatest outward extent of protuberances 16 is sufficient to develop complete support between the frame members and the post and the full shear strength of the protuberance 16 is developed because the connector wall 40 is held closely adjacent post wall 46. At the same time and in the same way the protuberances prevent upward movement of the frame members relative to the post 14.

The construction disclosed is easily constructed since the connectors 17 and 38 are simple angles and are identical. The frame members 10 and 12 have squarecut ends to which one leg of the connector is secured by a peripheral weld as shown, thereby eliminating need for complex cutting and welding jigs. While the connectors 17 and 3-8 have been disclosed for use with a square post, it will be readily understood that connection may also be made to rectangular posts, but this limits the flexibility of mating any connector leg with any post wall. The series of protuberances permits securing the frame members at selected heights along the posts as desired.

Although an illustrative embodiment has been shown and described, it is to be understood that various modifications and substitutions may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a knockdown rack wherein interengaging angleshaped connectors with oppositely pointing vertical hooks on ends of frame members engage each other to define a sleeve-like connector adapted for surrounding and connecting to a vertical post, the improvement comprising, in combination, the vertical post being formed with a vertical series of spaced protuberances formed on the surface of the post without perforation of the post, the angle-shaped connection with the upwardly pointing hooks thereon having at least one leg of the angle provided with an aperture therethrough of a size greater than the protuberances on the post, so as to receive a protuberance thereinto for effecting a support in shear between the apertured leg and the post, the other angleshaped connector operating to complete the sleeve-like connector and prevent inadvertent lateral separation between the apertured leg and the protuberance on the post.

2. In a knockdown rack as described in claim 1, wherein one leg of the angle-shaped connector extends perpendicularly and transverse to the axis of the frame member with a surface of the leg being adapted for abutting engagement with a vertical edge surface of the post, and a second leg extends from the frame member in parallel to the axis thereof with a surface of the second leg being adapted for abutting engagement with a vertical edge surface of the post.

3. In a knockdown rack as described in claim 1, wherein said protuberances are equally spaced from each other throughout the length of the post and the aperturedefining leg spans two of the protuberances and defines two apertures for receiving the two protuberances.

4. In a knockdown rack construction as described in claim 1, wherein each of the legs defines an aperture adapted for receiving one of the protuberances.

5. In a knockdown rack construction as described in claim 1, wherein one of the legs has a planar inner surface which is substantially coplanar with an outer surface of the frame member to which it is connected.

6. In a knockdown rack construction as described in claim 3, wherein said protuberances and apertures are circular in configuration and the protuberances comprise upsets which are rolled in the wall of the upright.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 801,472 10/1905 Nelson 5288 1,419,297 6/1922 'Novitsky 5-295 2,582,059 l/1952 Neely 5272l 3,484,226 12/1969 Golightly 211184X 3,422,962 1/1969 Burns 2l1-176 NILE C. BYERS, 111., Primary Examiner US. 01. X.R. 5288; 10s 144 

